Blog Archives

Its done. The King has been crowned. LeBron James and the Miami Heat won their first title in the “Big Three” era as they defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals. LeBron James monster run throughout the Finals and the playoffs continued as he tore through the Thunder for a triple double of 26 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds. However, it was Mike Millers BIG 23 points off the bench that pushed the Heat over the edge as they won by a 15 point margin but it aws much bigger throughout the game.

Whilst it was hugely dissapointing for the Thunder to go down, it was another huge step forward. This is a ridiculously young team here and they have the core to win a championship. As LeBron James said after the game, watch out for the Thunder!

The Boston Celtics took a major advantage against the Miami Heat as they won in Miami and can now go home to close out the series. The Celtics have gone from the “old” Celtics to a winning team. TD Garden will surely be roaring when the C’s return home for Game 6 and KG will be doing the same. The men in green have all the momentum heading home.

“They jumped on us at the beginning of the game and we just told our guys to just hang in there. Just hang in there. Don’t overreact. Hang in there. The longer we’re in the game, the better we’ll play.”— Celtics coach Doc Rivers

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade combined for 57 points but not a single other player registered in double figures for the Heat. For the Celtics, Garnett had 26 points and 11 rebounds while Paul Pierce scored 19 points.

Marquis Daniels was certainly prepared to play as he provided the spark to help the Celtics win their first game at home. The Celtics got 20+ points from three of their big four as Garnett, Pierce and Rondo all poured in the points.

LeBron James was unstoppable as he had 34 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists but did not receive a great deal of help from his partner in crime as Wade only added 18 points.

The Miami Heat duo of LeBron and Wade heaped the pressure back onto the Indiana Pacers as they took Game Four in Indiana by 8 points. LeBron especially had a ridiculous evening, scoring 40 points, pulling down 18 rebounds and adding 9 assists and 2 steals on the side. Unbelievable. Dwyane Wade had 30 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists.

Danny Granger had 20 points to lead the Pacers in a losing effort.

“It comes down to this: yes, you can get the ball out of their hands and make other guys make plays but you get the ball out of one of those guys’ hands and it finds its way to the other guy. It’s not just like one superhero and a bunch of role players. You’ve got to worry about the other guy.”
— Indiana coach Frank Vogel

The Miami Heat took an early series lead as they took down the Indiana Pacers in Game One of their series. 3-time and newly crowned MVP LeBron James dominated the game with a match leading performance of 32 points, 15 rebounds and 5 assists. Dwyane Wade provided ample assistance as he scored 29 points. However, it was not all good news for the Heat as they lost Chris Bosh to an abdominal strain early in the game. For a team that struggles with size, the return of Bosh is paramount to this teams success. He may not be the best player in a Heat uniform but he may very well be the most important.

“We are going to have to get him better shots. I don’t know if he’s going to have a huge offensive series, especially when he has to guard LeBron James for 38 minutes. That takes a lot out of your offensive game.”
— Pacers head coach Frank Vogel on Granger’s struggles.

David West made the most of Chris Bosh’s absence, scoring 17 points and pulling down 12 rebounds. Center Roy Hibbert also played well as he scored 17 points and had 11 rebounds while fighting through foul trouble. Danny Granger on the other hand quickly realised that he would not be getting the same shots against LeBron as he did against the Magic, only scoring 7 points on 1-10 shooting.

It finally happened. It took 11 years but the Knicks have at last won a playoff game. What made it even more rewarding was that it was in front of a raucous Madison Sqaure Garden crowd. The hero of NYC for the night was Carmelo Anthony, who finally exploded in this series as he poured in 41 points. Amare Stoudemire also had 20 as the two All Stars finally combined for a winnning result. The night was marred for Knick fans though as veteran guard Baron Davis went down with a dislocated knee cap.

LeBron James did all he could to get the win for the Heat with 27 including a huge three to make the win look likely for the Heat. Dwyane Wade also added in 22 points. Despite no other player scoring in double figures, the Heat simply were not able to reign in the combined might of STAT and Melo.

The Miami Heat cruised to an easy 33 point win at home against a poor New York Knick team. Both Amare Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler got in to early foul trouble to take away the Knicks only real discernible advantage as LeBron James powered his way to a 32 point win. The Heat defence completely suffocated Carmelo Anthony as they simply did not let him get the ball. Shane Battier and James both fronted Melo every time he tried to post up racking up steal after steal as the Knicks tried to get their star the ball. When Carmelo did get his hands on the ball, he was often pushed down into the corners of the court, reducing his effectiveness. Stoudemire did not offer much support either, often barreling through defenders and getting called for offensive fouls. Poor discipline and suffocating Miami defence meant that the New York Knicks simply got eaten alive.

Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images

The most important thing now for the Knicks to do is to put that game behind them. Learn from your mistakes yes, but move on. Miami wre always gonna come otut and make a statement on the big stage as they opened up a postseason full to the brim with expectations. Be competitive in the next game, and even if you don’t get the win, have confidence in your homecourt and get the wins there. New York City is far from a welcoming environment for a visiting team.

Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images

Unfortunately for the Knicks, this has been made even more difficult by the injury to possibly their best perimeter defender in Iman Shumpert, who has torn his ACL and will be out for the rest of the playoffs. All the best to Shump.

Carmelo Anthony’s 42 points 9 rebounds and 5 assists were not enough for the Knicks to defeat the Miami Heat in a potential first round preview. While Carmelo was huge, there was little help to be had from the rest of his team, with only J.R Smith reaching double figures. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade carried the Heat, scoring 29 and 28 points respectively. Chris Bosh also finished with 16, but more importantly out rebound Tyson Chandler as he played the center position, pulling down 14 boards.

Three players scored 20 points or more and Pau Gasol knocked down two clutch back to back threes in overtime as the Lakers swept the series between themselves and Dallas. With Kobe Bryant still ancient, the Lakers’ offense hardly struggled without him, albeit it did require big games from unusual sources. Dirk Nowitzki had 24 points but shot just 9-28 from the field. Jason Terry also had 21 points off the bench.

Rajon Rondo had 20 points and handed out 16 assists as the Boston Celtics cruised to a win against the Charlotte Bobcats. With the Big Three staying home for the game, it was left to the younger brigade to take care of business. They did not disappoint, with Brandon Bass, Avery Bradley and Rajon Rondo all scoring 20 points. Greg Stiemsma swatted 6 shots for the Celtics. Gerald Henderson also had 22 for the Cats.

After taking down the Boston Celtics, the Toronto Raptors claimed another top Eastern scalp as they defeated the Atlanta Hawks by 18 points. Demar DeRozan had 23 points but the Hawks shot themselves in the foot, only hitting one three for the entire game. Josh Smith lead all scorers with 26 points on 11-20 scoring.

The Detroit Pistons pushed the Bulls to overtime but could not finish the game off as they lost by six. Rodney Stuckey lead all with 32 point. Derrick Rose continued to struggle in his retun, scoring 24 points on 9-22 shooting. Joakim Noah also had 20 points and 17 rebounds including a phenomenal 13 offensive rebounds. 4 starters played 20 minutes plus for the Bulls.

The Orlando Magic got the win butlost another bigman as Glen Davis went down with a big knee. The injury leaves the Magic with only one slight tall player left in Ryan Anderson. Jameer Nelson had 21 and 9 assists as well as 9 rebounds to lead both teams.
Antawn Jamison had 21 for the Cavs.

Marcus Thornton Knocked down the elbow jumper to win the game with 3.4 seconds left. Thornton had 20 points to go along with the game winner. Wesley Matthews was the highlight for the injury torn Trailblazers, scoring 31 points on 8-10 shooting from downtown.

The New Orleans Hornets had a hige upset as they beat the Memphis. Rudy Gay had 24 points in the loss while Eric Gordon lead the Hornets with 18. Carl Landry had a double double off the bench registering 16 points and 11 boards.

Afflalo and Ty Lawson both dropped twenty points and Andrew Miller hadned out 11 assists off the bench as well as 7 boards as the Denver Nuggets defeated the Houston Rockets by a comfortable 15 points. Chase Budinger had 19 off the bench for the Rockets.

Ryan Anderson’s 7 threes paced the Orlando Magic as they took down the Toronto Raptors by 16 points. Dwight Howard also had a double double, scoring 23 points including 7-10 from the free throw line. Gary Forbes top scored for the Raptors with 21 points while Linas Kleiza had 18 points off the bench.

Rodney Stuckey’s buzzer beater led the Detroit Pistons over the Washington Wizards. The Wizards gave up yet another big lead to the Pistons, something that has become a habit over the past couple of games. Stuckey high scored for the Pistons with 24 points.

The Boston Celtics cruised to an easy win over the Charlotte Bobcats, carried by Paul Pierce’s 36 points and 10 rebounds. Garnett kept his good run going, scoring 24 points, looking like the Garnett of old. Gerald Henderson led the Cats with 21 points

Kent Smith/NBAE/Getty Images

Indiana had a big win against the drooping Miami Heat, winning by 15 points. Danny Granger, matching up with LeBron James, had 24 for the Pacers as all 5 starters scored in double figures. James and Wade both had 24 apiece.

After their big game against the Hawks, the Jazz accounted for the New Jersey Nets with ease. Millsap had 24 for Utah while Deron Williams had 17 and 11 assists for New Jersey, but shot poorly, only 7-21 from the field. Gerald Green had 20 off the bench.

Without Stoudemire or Lin in the line-up, Carmelo Anthony finally returned to form, scoring 28 points and pull down 12 rebounds as the Knicks beat the Bucks. The injury plagued Knicks fended off the surging Bucks for a little longer in the battle for the 8th seed in the East.

JaVale McGee got the start and helped deliver a big win for his team as the Denver Nuggets triumphed over the Chicago Bulls. Ty Lawson took advantage of Derrick Rose’s continued absence, scoring 27 points. Afflalo also played big, scoring 22 for the Nuggets. CJ Watson led the Bulls with 17 points.

DeMarcus Cousin’s monster game was not enough to lead the Kings over the Rockets as they were defeated in OT. The Rockets had a big team game, with 7 players scoring in double figures. Patrick Patterson led the way with 24 off the bench while new recruit Earl Boykins had 10 points.

A big game from Chris Paul was more than sufficient as the Clippers beat the Hornets by 12. Paul had 25 points and 10 assists, while Blake Griffin had 20 points as well as 7 rebounds and 5 assists.

Markieff Morris’s career high night and Marcin Gortat’s big game led the Phoenix Suns to a blow out victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Both Morris and Gortat had 22 points apiece, with veteran point guard Steve Nash dishing out 13 assists against younger counterpart Kyrie Irving. Irving himself had 16 points in the 25 point loss.

Kevin Love followed up his career night with another big game, scoring 30 points and 21 rebounds in a 17 point win over the Nuggets. Point guard Luke Ridnour had 25 points and 6 assists to support Love, while the Denver Nuggets had 5 players score in double digits, with new recruit JaVale McGee scoring 13 points and pulling down 11 rebounds.

With Ray Allen and Mikael Pietrus both out for the Celtics, back-up point guard Avery Bradley started at the shooting guard position and had a career night. Scoring 23 points on 9-14 shooting, Bradley led the Celtics over the Nene-less Washington Wizards, backed up by Paul Pierce’s 21 points. Rondo also handed out 11 assists in the victory. Jordan Crawford had 20 points but on poor shooting (8-18)

Two days after the epic in Thunder land, the Hawks and the Utah Jazz decide to one up it with a quadruple overtime thriller. Joe Johnson blasted 37 points as 14 players scored in double digits, and 4 players fouled out. More on this game very soon.

The Spurs were able to account for the Philadelphia 76ers despite Tim Duncan being out, according to the NBA website, for being “old”. All-Star Igoudala was also out for the Sixers. Tony Parker led the Spurs with 21 points and 6 assists whilst DeJuan Blair hustled his way to 19 points. Elton Brand had 14 for the Sixers.

Kevin Durants 22 points were enough to lift the Thunder over the Heat in a big statement win for the Thunder. Dwyane Wade had 22 points for the Heat, and what is perhaps a positive, LeBron struggled all night, meaning at least they didn’t lose at full capacity. But there can be no doubt about the Thunder’s dominance in this one, winning by 16 points.

The very short handed Golden State Warriors fell to the struggling Portland Trailblazers by three. In a battle of point guards, Charles Jenkins, starting in the place of Nate Robinson, scored 27 points, but it was Raymond Felton’s 24 points and 7 assists that won the game. LaMarcus Aldridge had 18 for the Blazers.

The Memphis Grizzlies had 6 players scoring in double digits as they halted an ugly run of losses, beating the Lakers by 6. Rudy Gay top scored for the Grizzlies with 18 points, while Andrew Bynum had a big game in the loss, scoring 30 points, but only had 4 rebounds. Kobe Bryant had 18 points as well.